Hand made Lamborghini built in a basement sees the light of day

This is actually old news, but it was lost amoungst all the mayhem between SEMA and the L.A. auto show. The story is so incredible, however, that we were determined to post this as a credit to the craftsmanship and amazing dedication that was poured into this project.

Seventeen years ago, Ken Imhoff watched Cannonball Run and became so enamored with the Lamborghini Countach in the film, he hand-built his own, in his basement. In what we imagine might be the most Jalopnik build ever undertaken, Ken designed and fabricated his own tig-welded frame, installed a thoroughly massaged 351 cubic inch V8 with a ZF-25 5-speed transmission, hand-formed the aluminum body over a meticulously measured and accurate body form, and finished it all off in a beautiful metallic gray. It took Ken 10 years to complete the project, and the results — as you can see in the gallery — are amazing. There's only one problem, when you build a car in a basement — how do you get it out?

Ken went into the project fully aware of the problem of a getting the car out of his basement — it was your classic ship-in-a-bottle project problem. When the faux Lambo was complete, he actually hired a contractor to knock out a part of the basement wall, build an earthen ramp, and then drag the car out of its subterranean workshop.

A little history on the car.
100% hand crafted Countach out of aluminum and a space tube frame. All aluminum body formed on a wooden buck using an English wheel. My own design space frame with Corvette hubs and custom A-arms. Mated to a ZF-25 5 speed. S.S. 180 degree headers GT40 design "bundle of snakes" Boss 351 bored stroked to 377 515hp 48 IDA Webbers. One off TransAm BBS rim shells to my own center section wheels. Custom brake package to fit 16" wheels. Fuel cell, twin aluminum sprint car (Howe) radiators. All aluminum interior with leather dash, Momo seats and 5 point harness, on board halon fire bottle. quick release steering wheel. Low to the ground at 2700 lbs. 100% body correct by using a real Countach to measure from. Over 10 years in the making.

Major kudos to you, Ken! It's folks like you that keep our hobby alive, and show that anything is possible with the right amount of dedication and time, not to mention money!

Product Review: Mach 1 Shift Knob

One of the most overlooked upgrades for any performance car is the venerable shift knob. It is perhaps the easiest upgrade one can make, and immediately changes the feel of your drive. Other than the steering wheel, nothing connects you more with the road than a good shift.

The Mach 1 shift knob is a nice aluminum piece that is modeled after, you guessed it, the knob present in the previous generation Mach 1 Mustang. Not only is it a great looking piece, but it also has a nice solid feel for those inevitable power shifts.

The great thing about the Mach 1 knob is that it fits any Mustang from '83-04'. So whether you have an early fox body or a new retro ride, this shift knob's for you.

I found that the Mach 1 piece is a perfect fit for my hand and has a very solid feel. It took all of 30 seconds to remove my original knob and replace it with this very stylish piece. It also looks great if you have other billet aluminum pieces in your interior.

Overall I'm very satisfied with my Mach 1 shift knob. I got mine from American Muscle, which has tons of parts for early and late model Mustangs. Not to mention they are currently offering free shipping, which only sweetens the deal further.

2010 Mustang Dash

This week's exciting revealing picture of the upcoming 2010 Mustang is....the dash.

But in all seriousness, it is indeed a nice looking piece. It appears that the quality of the parts involved is much improved over the previous 'stang.

I must say that the previous generation had a nice looking dash for pictures, but it felt pretty cheap to me. Hopefully all of this has been fixed with the new dash.

The materials involved have a high quality look to them, and are accented by a three spoke steering wheel featuring the new Mustang logo in the center.

The circular air vents at each end and gauge cluster are adorned with chrome bezels, and the seats appear to be finished with some stitching work, as does the steering wheel. A square vent appears above the center stack.

Stay tuned for next weeks revealing photos leading up to the 2010 Mustang's official unveiling.

AmericanMuscle.com is your online authority for Mustang Parts.

2010 Mustang Interior Pictures

Here's the clearest view yet of the 2010 Mustang's interior, courtesy of the folks at KGP Photography. What you see here is an extensively reworked cabin with many all new components combined with some existing pieces.

The center stack distinctly shows tightly packed multimedia and climate-control units surrounded by what appears to be aluminum trimming. Two new rectangular center vents sit directly above the center console. On either side of the center stack are revised oval air vents as well.

Positioned in front of the driver are updated white-faced gauges complete with classic elongated musclecar font. Set in front of the tachometer and speedometer is a beefier three-spoke steering wheel featuring rearranged multimedia functions. The cruise control is now on the left side while the controls for the Sync entertainment system are on the right.

All in all, it appears that the interior of the new 'stang will be more refined and upscale than previous models. Perhaps a twist on Ford's move to more European models?

Featured Foureye - Alejandro Manglano's '79 Mustang Turbo

Automotive restoration is an addiction. Restoring or modifying any car is a time consuming, often heartbreaking process that typically ends up costing too much money and taking too much time. But the appeal is unexplainable, a very rewarding experience indeed. And unlike those who pay to have a car restored, one can take a certain amount of pride in the fact that you can boast that you did all the work yourself.

Such is the case with Alejandro Manglano and his 1979 Mustang. Alejandro and his wife were on a mission to replace his wrecked BMW with a Mustang. They did a lot of looking around until they found a mint 1980 Ghia V6. Alejandro and his wife decided that this would be the one they would purchase.

The very next day, Alejandro was on his way to purchase the '80 with his friend when he spotted a brown '79 coupe that appeared to have seen better days. It sat motionless with a flat tire, no brakes to speak of, a ratted out interior, torn up suspension, and a rather dented up body from an apparent accident.

Alejandro saw past the sad state the fox was in and saw a large amount of potential in the little turbo coupe. He immediately changed his mind and decided to forgo the perfect '80 for the ratty '79. To compound matters further, the little couple wouldn't start or run so he and his friend had to load it up on a trailer and tow it home.

Alejandro arrived home to pretty much the same reaction that we all get at some point and time from his wife. All she wanted to know was "where is that pretty green car we looked at yesterday?" (Editors note: the reaction I got when I drove my '83 home was much worse than this). Alejandro explained to her that the '79 was a great project to begin with, and that it wouldn't take long since it was a solid, rust free car.

The restoration took 5 years. The mangled body was straightened out and covered with layers of tan/gold pearl. The ol' four banger was rebuilt and freshened up for the time being, Alejandro has future plans of completely going through it. Brake were upgraded with escort calipers and disks in the rear. Wheels are 15x7 American Racing Outlaws with Sumitomo tires all around.

The interior was completely restored from dash to console to upholstery. The steering wheel and shifter knob are custom units that have been painted to match the body color.

Now that Alejandro's foxbody is finished, it's being used in a TV show. How's that for having your car work for you? And instead of tooling around in a car that was perfect from the get go, Alejandro has a ride that's both unique and has history. That's what this hobby is all about.

AmericanMuscle.com has all the Mustang Parts you will need to spice up your 'Stang.

You can view the pictures of the restoration here.